46 THE POLICY OF THE PLOUGH 



to house their labourers well. Such men may be 

 inclined to regard a State policy for agriculture as "all 

 nonsense," as indeed from their personal standpoint it 

 is. They have proved for themselves the wealth of the 

 soil and are willing to stake everything on it. They see 

 others put their money into joint-stock farms abroad 

 that grow rubber and tea ; for themselves the soil of 

 England is good enough. But the mass of British 

 farmers are not of this kind. They farm comparatively 

 small areas of land with insufficient capital and a 

 narrow margin of profit. These are the men who count. 

 If they are not guaranteed a stable market the situation 

 from the point of view of national security will be lost. 



But there is less need to argue this point than that 

 of the minimum wage, for it is conceded in advance. 

 The members of the Departmental Committee, though 

 they represented all branches of poHtical opinion, 

 unanimously agreed that security for the farmer has 

 become necessary if more food is to be produced and 

 more men are to be employed. The Majority declared 

 that the discussion of the best sort of security lay out- 

 side their terms of reference, but they suggested that the 

 security should be given by (1) a minimum price for 

 wheat, or (2) a bonus on the ploughing of permanent 

 grass, or (3) a tariff.^ If anyone had economic scruples 

 he cast them away. Necessity conquered all. Truly 

 the war has changed everything. 



It will be seen, then, that it is no longer a question 



when any measure of State intervention is suggested, 



of satisfying economic tradition for its own sake. All 



men have ceased to do that. It is only a question of 



1 Majority Report, para. 181. 



